Katha: For the Love of a Cat

For the Love of a Cat 

by 

Rosalind Wilson (1942–1992) 

and 

illustrated by 

Wen Hsu 

(Katha, 2010).

Many things in our life is extremely simple in nature. It is our enormous intellect that tends to complicate those simple things. 

Love is one such phenomena. It neither has form nor reason. It defies logic and confuses emotions. It can be simple to feel but complex to understand. It is extremely personal in nature but universal in application. It is not love that complicates things but the practitioner. 

For the Love of a Cat is a very simple story about a simple painter and his simple love towards a simple cat. Usage of the word "simple" is so warranted because of the storyline, illustration and artwork. All these simple things get together to deliver a very powerful message - "Love".

In this story, a struggling painter has a pet cat, Tara, which he loves very much. They love and each other through thick and thin. One day, divinity decides to test this love. Due to lack of work and food, the painter decides to lie down and await death. A group of monks approach the painter to paint a canvas of Buddha with animals and birds around it. As simple the request may seem, the rider was that the canvas may not have a cat because monks have heard that Buddha does not like cats.

Before the canvas could be completed, Tara falls sick and dies in the arms of its dear friend. In remembrance of his fond friend, the grieving painter draws a very small image of his friend on the canvas. He is proven wrong in his assumption that his small image of a cat would skip the inspection of the monks. His desire is that his dear "Tara" to live for eternity as part of the painting. However, the monks discover his addition to the painting and decide to punish him for the act. The town assembles to disgrace the painter. The monks decide to burn the painting with the "taboo"-ed animal. When the painting is brought out to be burnt, its image turns out to be something completely different from what was drawn by the painter.


The enlightening image opens many a eyes of the ignorant ones who did not understand the meaning of Love. What was the change that woke everybody up from their ignorant slumber showing the greatness of love. The completely unexpected climax to this wonderful story is the strongest message that our society needs today. 


The message is so simple yet powerful. A virtue that we need to build in our younger generation. 

A story that needs to be told to every child in this world... to open their eyes to what is important in life.